Legal Research Institute

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• Legal Research Institute
• Session 6
• Researching Minnesota Law
• Part 1
• Bills, Session Laws Statutes
• Presenter Vicente Garces
• University of Minnesota Law Library

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What Well Cover

• Focus on print and free web site resources.
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources

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What Well Cover

• Primary Source MaterialsMN constitution, session
  laws/statutes, case law and administrative rules
  and decisions.
• Secondary Source MaterialsLegal encyclopedias,
  treatises, practice materials, CLE publications,
  forms, legal periodicals.

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Primary v. Secondary Sources

• Primary sources can carry mandatory / controlling
  authority.
• Secondary sources carry persuasive authority at
  best.
• Secondary sources provide explanations, analysis,
  commentary on the law.

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MN Constitution

• Citation Minn. Const. art. VI 2
• Print v. 1 of Minnesota Statutes
• Annotated Versions
• Wests Minnesota Statutes Annotated (print
  Westlaw)
• LexisNexis Minnesota Annotated Statutes (online
  only)

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History of MN Constitution

• Constitution of 1857 reprinted in Minnesota
  Statutes.
• Last major revision 1974
• Constitution Amendments (Art. 9)
• Constitutional Convention
• Amendment in legislature and general election
  approval by electorate.

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Constitutional Interpretation Sources

• Case law (see annotations)
• Case Citators Shepards KeyCite
• Law review articles
• Bibliography of sources in Chap. 1, Minnesota
  Legal Research Guide, 2d ed.

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Further Reading

• Chapter 1, Historical Beginnings and the
  Minnesota Constitution in Minnesota Legal
  Research Guide, 2nd ed. By John Tessner, Brenda
  Wolfe and George R. Jackson.

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Minnesota Bills

• Bills assigned a File no. S.F. (Senate File)
  and H.F. (House File)
• Where to get MN bills
• 1995 current Legislatures web site.
• 1957-2006 Legislative Reference Library.
• Pre-1957 MN Historical Society Library.
• Bill Tracking Services MN Legislatures web
  site MyBills, LexisNexis Westlaw.

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Session Laws

• Enacted bills resolutions ? Slip Laws
• Each enacted bill is assigned a Chapter Law .
• Minnesota Laws, the official publication of
  session laws.
• Citation example 2008 Minn. Laws ch. 369

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Where to Find Session Laws

• Hardcopy
• Minnesota Laws available at most MN Law
  Libraries.
• Slip laws, Office of the Chief Clerk of the House
  and other legislative sources.
• Wests Minnesota Session Law Service

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MN Sessions Laws Online

• Office of the Revisor of Statutes web site
  www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/lawsComplete
  coverage, search browse options.
• LexisNexis
• Westlaw
• HeinOnline

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Minnesota Statutes

• Compilation of general permanent laws.
• Current laws incorporates new laws, amendments
  or repeals old laws.
• Official publication Minnesota Statutes
• Republished even numbered yrs.
• Pocket part supp. odd numbered yrs.

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Arrangement of Statutes

• General Subject Areas, e.g. agriculture
• Chapters ex. agriculture (33 chapters, chaps.
  17 41D)
• Sections

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Statute Citation

• 17.037 Enforcement of Laws By Commissioner.
• Chapter 17 Section 037 more commonly referred
  to as section 17.037.
• Bluebook citation Minn. Stat. 17.037 (2008)

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Other Finding Aids inMinnesota Statutes

• Table 1 Local Special Acts(1849 )
• Table 2 Allocation of Acts Enactments Not
  Previously Included in Minnesota Statutes
• Table 3 Internal Cross Reference
• Table 4 Statutory Authority for Administrative
  Rules

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Other Documents inMinnesota Statutes

• Vol. 1 Historical docs.
• Vol. 15 Rules Rules of civil. pro., crim. pro.,
  evidence, court rules, atty judicial rules of
  conduct, other misc. rules.

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Minnesota Statuteshttps//www.revisor.leg.state.m
n.us/statutes/

• Web version not the official version.
• Coverage 1997 edition current ed.
• Features
• Browsable hyperlink Table of Chapters
• Retrieve by citation search box
• Keyword/phrase search
• Browsable hyperlink subject index

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Minnesota Statutes AnnotatedWest Thomson

• Hard copy multi-vol. set
• Vols. republished as needed
• Update pocket pts. pamphlet supp
• Annotated versions of MN Constitution and court
  rules.

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MSA Annotations

• Historical Statutory Notes
• Cross References to Related Statutes
• Library References to secondary sources, West
  Digest, encyclopedias, treatises, law journal
  articles, practice materials
• Notes of Decisions annotations to case law.

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Finding Aids

• Annual Subject Index
• Popular Name Table
• Various Tables in Vols. 43 -43B

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Online Annotated Versions of Minnesota Statutes

• Westlaw Minnesota Statutes Annotated
• LexisNexis Minnesota Annotated Statutes

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